HOOVER, Ala. — The 2017 edition of SEC Media Days begins Monday with Arkansas, LSU and Tennessee kicking things off from Hoover, Ala. Each head coach is scheduled to speak to the media followed by a trio of select players from each program.
During the first day of the event, here are a few questions we have going into the SEC’s offseason media extravaganza.
Has Arkansas recovered from its back-to-back season-ending collapses?
Had Arkansas held on to halftime leads of 24-7 against Missouri in the regular season finale and 24-0 against Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl, and finished the 2016 season 9-4, there would be plenty of reason for optimism heading into the 2017 season in Fayetteville. Of course, the Razorbacks fell in both games and finished a disappointing 7-6.
Last season’s poor finish ensured that head coach Bret Bielema would not improve on his previous year’s record, a first during his Razorback tenure. Now with a complete shift from the 4-3 to the 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, will the leaders of Arkansas’ offense be feeling pressure to carry the team heading into the season?
With two of the unit’s best players — quarterback Austin Allen and center Frank Ragnow — on hand in Hoover, it will be interesting to see how they react to anyone questioning the progress of the program as it enters a critical season in the midst of massive overhaul on one side of the ball.
Will Frank Ragnow address his potential role on defense?
Using arguably the best center in the nation on defense seems anything but conventional, but that’s apparently the plan. Bielema suggested as much in the spring when he said Ragnow could potentially get some snaps on the defensive line next season. Flipping a potential All-American player to the other line of scrimmage isn’t something you see very often.
Adding to this odd spring development, Bielema decided to sit a healthy Ragnow for much of the spring in Fayetteville. The Razorback lineman was not coming off an injury but simply was told to sit out all contact work by his head coach. Considering the issues Arkansas had up front as a collective offensive line last season, removing the unit’s best player from the field for every meaningful snap certainly couldn’t help progress the line’s chemistry this spring.
How will Ed Orgeron handle his first SEC Media Day as LSU’s head coach?
While Bielema has earned a reputation as the most charismatic SEC coach, having acquired that title after delivering many colorful exchanges when speaking to the press, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron has a chance to steal some of his thunder with an impressive performance Monday.
Whether it’s in the main ballroom or on radio row, with that many opportunities to speak his mind, Orgeron is likely to drop at least one gem that will go viral during opening day. If nothing else, the attempts to translate his Cajun accent should be fun for everyone involved.
Starting Monday, does Derrius Guice emerge as the face of LSU’s program?
Living in Leonard Fournette’s shadow couldn’t have been easy. Fournette was a local legend, stayed home to play for his in-state school and seemed to fight for every tough yard that was available to him during his three-year career in Baton Rouge. This offseason, many have begun to suggest that Derrius Guice might be the better player, and potentially even the better pro prospect. Now Guice has to prove he can carry the load as the offense’s go-to option, as Fournette did for much of the past three seasons.
Having only six starts to his name, Guice has proven a ton in a short time, but he won’t have the benefit of coming into the game late after Fournette has worn down the opponent or serving as an elite change of pace back. The most carries he’s seen in one season is 183. If LSU is going to make any noise this season, it will be thanks to Guice’s accomplishments.
Will he be up for the challenge of replacing a legend? His initial test begins Monday with all of the SEC’s media eager to parse through every single word he has to say during his first appearance in Hoover.
Will anyone from Tennessee have anything interesting to say?
The coachspeak from Tennessee head coach Butch Jones has become so bad, one local Knoxville columnist started calling the Volunteer coach “the clown of catchphrases” heading into the event. Will we get more of the same from Jones, or has former Tennessee coaching legend Phillip Fulmer already started to earn his paycheck in his new role as “special adviser” to the school by helping Jones deliver at least some insightful thoughts into his dealings with the media?
The lack of interest could come not only from Jones but from his select three player representatives: cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, offensive lineman Jashon Robertson and defensive tackle Kendal Vickers. Those selections couldn’t be more at odds from last year’s contingent of Joshua Dobbs, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cam Sutton — all of whom are in the NFL.
If Tennessee is attempting to fly under the radar in Hoover, which very well could be the plan and might serve in the program’s best interest following last offseason’s Big Orange hype train resulting in a disappointing 9-4 season, it has picked an ideal cast to carry out that objective.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
